Met-L-Flo, Inc. Newsletter – April 2014

May 8, 2014

Met-L-Flo Trivia Section

Everyone needs a little fun in your workday! Here's our trivia section to add some fun and competition to your day. We look forward to your responses.Ready for Spring? Here are a few questions to get you geared up for the season!Who coined the phrase, “April showers bring May Flowers”?A. Jimi Hendrix B. Thomas Tusser C. George Washington D. Janis JoplinWhat is the meaning behind "April showers brings May flowers"?A. Need for change B. Mother Nature is crying C. PatienceHow did spring cleaning come about?A. Warm temperatures excite people to clean B. Coal that was used to heat the home during the winter got every where, and needed to be cleaned C. People had nothing better to doWhen is the cut-off time for planting summer flowers and food, for the midwest?A. End of May B. Middle of October C. End of MarchAnswers from last trivia:How well do you know holiday movie trivia? 1. Who was the voice of the mailman in the 1970 claymation story of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Frank Sinatra2. What is Clark Griswald's brother-in-law's name in the movie "Christmas Vacation"? Cousin Eddy3. In the 1994 rendition of "Miracle of 34th Street" what is the name of the department store Santa saves with his new marketing campaign? Cole’s Please send your guesses/requests for the correct matches to: newsletter@met-l-flo.com If you've got an idea for a great trivia teaser, please submit it to the email above for possible inclusion in a future addition.Industry Activity:

ASTM Intl F42 Update

As of February 2014, eight Additive Manufacturing industry standards have been or are in the process to be published by the ASTM Intl. Two of the eight standards are being published with the support of the International Standardization of Organization. These combined standards are one example of the global support and impact this committee is having on the Additive Manufacturing and 3-D printing industry. Continuous growth and development is essential to the evolution to continue to be successful, this is due to the very dedicated members. It is Met-L-Flo’s pleasure to support ASTM F42 group, not only as a member, but also with our very own President, Carl Dekker as an elected Chair Member.An update on these activities was presented on Wednesday, April 9 at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group presentation. Task group meetings will be held at RAPID 2014. The next committee meeting will occur following the RM Conference in Nottingham, UK on July 10th and 11th.

Contract revisions and their importance:

Why does Met-L-Flo review revisions in your Terms and Conditions on purchase orders?Contract revisions are very important to Met-L-Flo to guarantee our customer’s orders are successful.Your contract revisions allow Met-L-Flo to be updated and informed on any changes made to your Terms and Conditions. When a customer of Met-L-Flo has a revision change; such as changes for shipping procedures, legal disclaimers, or certificate of conformance it is our responsibility to review and verify that the new requirements are consistent with the data on file. Most importantly we want to make sure Met-L-Flo is going above and beyond to satisfy our customers’ needs by following the practices set forth and defined by our customers’ Terms and Conditions.If you have any questions or concerns please ask your Program Manager or Account Manager for more information. 

Met-L-Flo Process Spotlight:

The Next Generation of SLA Material Now introducing Accura® Xtreme™ White-200, known as one of the toughest and most durable SLA material available today. This material creates solutions to some of rapid prototyping’s biggest challenges. Accura®ᵒXtreme™ White 200 offers high elongation at break of 14-22%, high impact strength of 7540 - 10300 psi with the rigidity and strength of ABS plastic. Best of all, parts built in this new resin showcase a stunning white finish.This material is perfect for form, fit and functional prototypes, including assemblies that must withstand harsh environments. Some examples include snap fits, consumer electronic components, automotive parts, and devices that need to be bolted together.As a team we have been building and testing the durability of this resin firsthand on our SLA machines. Met-L-Flo agrees, Accura®ᵒXtreme™ is the “Gold Standard” of SLA materials! We are very excited to offer this solution to our clients.Tips from Tippy the turtle: Earth Day is coming up and garden season is underway as well. Here is a tip to help you get into the spirit of the season. Composting is a great way to reduce garbage and amp up your garden. When starting a compost, you will need a compost container found at your local hardware stores. Assemble your compost container directly on the ground. Next, you will want to build a couple of layers in the composter container using items easily found in your house and back yard. Start with a layer of 2-3 inch thick sticks; this will help your compost to breathe. Next, you will add essential components that will make your compost dirt. The materials need to be a ratio of 1/3 nitrogen material and 2/3 carbon material. Nitrogen materials, also known as wet materials, include your leftover vegetable peals, used coffee grounds, and freshly cut grass clippings. Carbon materials, also known as dry materials, include shredded paper, eggshells, and dried leaves. In a few weeks’ time, the nitrogen material will decompose with the carbon material creating optimal dirt for your garden, all the while recycling materials around your house. Here’s to a green thumb this season! Met-L-Flo's exhibits this year!

Shows Update!

Please read the details below to find out how to be our guest! AMUG: Additive Manufactures Users Group (AMUG) is an industry-wide users group that provides its members with a forum for learning and establishing professional connections. MET-L-FLO has been participating in AMUG shows for close to 20 years, and would like to extend the invitation to you. Anyone who is involved in the additive industry, please contact us for information about attending this show. Next year's AMUG is being held in Jacksonville, Florida from April 19th through April 22nd.AUVSI: Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is a non-profit organization focused on unmanned systems and robotics. The advancement in prototype materials has opened the door for use of AM materials on flight hardware. The conference is taking place at the Orange Country Convention Center May 13th-May 15th in Orlando, Florida. MET-L-FLO would like to invite you as our special guest for free. Please use the link provided to register. http://www.auvsishow.org/auvsi2014/public/Content.aspx?ID=1429Rapid: Rapid is an event managed by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) which showcases Rapid technologies and Additive Manufacturing processes. We feel that exhibiting and attending this show is crucial to ensure our staff is on the cutting edge of 3-D printing and Additive Manufacturing techniques. Please contact MET-L-FLO to receive your free pass as our guest! The Rapid show is being held in Detroit, Michigan from June 9th-June 12th.We look forward to seeing you there!President's Message:I was recently invited to a local junior high school career day which caused me to reflect on communication. When asked, ‘what does an average day look like?’ I found the question to be enlightening. The answer was not full of the fun things I typically express about the parts we produce. An average day is filled with meetings, e-mails, conference calls, some more meetings, and reports. All of the tasks on the daily agenda surround the objective of clear communication.While working in new products industry, the importance of clear communication is the key to being successful. When a new concept from one person’s mind develops, the idea then needs to be clearly communicated to an individual as well as a team who is responsible to produce the idea into 3-D. This can present some challenges, and has lead us to one of our key philosophies 'work closely with customers at all times; before, during, and after a program'. We strive to get a clear understanding of our client’s requirements, so we are able to produce the correct output in the required time.Many factors can impact the scope of work a program will require. Some examples include items in the contractual requirements, data handling, shipping, and invoicing. Much of this does not affect the manufacturing process of the product, but can be very troublesome when keeping relations open for ongoing programs. In addition, some of the challenges our team will stumble upon are part of the process in producing what the customer wants, or more importantly needs. Finding a way to communicate properly and effectively of how and what resources it will take to get the job completed can be a challenge to overcome.During the career day event, I was able to communicate how 3D Printing, or Additive Manufacturing is applied in our world, yet there was not enough time to communicate how difficult some of the samples were to accomplish. To help the team and I get through these challenges, I always remember advice that was given to me on my first contracting program. The advice came from a sub-contractor, he said “Choose good subs, ask for their input, and trust that they know what can be done.” This is not to say trust openly, but once you have trust and most importantly communication, it can make all the difference for a successful project.Have a great and productive 2014! Carl Dekker President MET-L-FLO Inc.We'd love to know what other subject matter would be beneficial for you in future editions. Please send your ideas and suggestions to newsletter@met-l-flo.com 
MET-L-FLO INC. 720 Heartland Drive Unit S Sugar Grove, IL 60554 Telephone 1-800-MET-L-FLO 630-409-9860 Fax 630-409-9869
Email: support@met-l-flo.com

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